The 1997 overall #2 NFL Draft pick by the Oakland Raiders, Darrell Russell, was killed in a high-speed car crash early Thursday morning. A NFL Pro-Bowler in 1998 and 1998, Russell had a promising young career going until he was suspended three times by the league for susbtance abuse violations.

Before his disappointing and brief NFL career, Russell was a star defensive lineman at the University of Southern California. He passed away at the age of 29, shortly after the car in which he was a passenger, driven by former USC teammate Mike Bastianelli spun out of control, off the road and crashed into numerous objects.